BBC 3 to be axed.

[chunkygull]

The BBC have announced that their channel BBC3 is to be took off air and its main content put online only from next year.

The channel is mainly aimed at the youth of Britain but there has been a bit of something for nearly everyone and a few gems produced over the years.

Looking at viewing figures for even the channels most popular shows it is no surprise a decision like this has been taken. Usually any shows that are popular or received critical acclaim were later put on BBC1 or 2 at a later date but that hasnt really happened for a while either.

Shows such as Gavin And Stacey made the mainstream jump and I am sure BBC3's top shows will end up on BBC2. Russell Howards Good News is very popular and could make the move. Family Guy (love it) and American Dad are among the top rated shows and the shows I would miss the most but I cannot imagine the main Beeb showing them. They are on Fox on sky though and I normally end up getting them on dvd eventually, shame though because many people like these shows but these other options arent feasible for them.

Some of BBC3's content has been dreadful and too chavvy, it is also full of BBC1 repeats, which means mainly the channel wont be missed too badly as many of the demographic it is aimed at watch the stuff they like that they havent seen on iplayer anyway.

However there have been a few good programmes of late, there are a few thought provoking reality/documentary/investagative shows and a few comedys, notably a brilliant sitcom called Uncle which hardly got a mention but I am sure an airing on a more mainstream channel would have got a decent viewing figure and the show would have been popular. The show is funny but also can be quite sad and dark. This was the first comedy in a long time to make me really laugh out loud and like the characters and each episode was funny. It is getting a 2nd series but should at the very least be on BBC2.

What I dont get is a BBC commitee made this decision, basically saying they made the choice was based on a demographic and what the viewers wanted, blah, blah, blah. Well BBC4 has lower viewing figures than 3 and a lot of their programmes are either BBC2 repeats, very high brow viewing or just absloutely boring as $h1t.

So why axe BBC3 and not BBC4? Is it because the old fuddy duddies on the commitee are out of touch and consider 4 the better option, I think yes. There were rumours of combining or merging the 2 channels along with the the BBC childrens channels which personally I think would have been the best option creating a more varied channel with something for everyone and saving even more money.

The BBC is definitely too top heavy and it probably doesnt need so many channels but the same goes for its radio, there are far too many similar channels or channels hardly anyone listens to, but whenever it is mentioned about cutting radio channels there is much protest and it doesnt happen. I wonder if the same thing will happen with BBC3?

[ferrarilover]

They could happily axe Radio 3 and probably Radio 1 as well. There are millions of commercial channels that will play endless mediocre pop music for idiots to nod along to. Radio 2 can account for the majority of fairly normal people and Radio 4 can deal with the genuinely middle class.
I'm not convinced we need BBC News 24 either. If anything important happens, it is either so big they shut down BBC1 for an emergency broadcast or, if it's less interesting, it's handled on TV by Sky News and the Beeb can cover it online.
We could also shut down the two main channels at night. We don't need 6 hours of scrolling news overnight.

I have enjoyed a couple of things on BBC3 recently. I like Bluestone 42, because it's very silly and has Kelly Adams in it. I also watched Pramface, which was a surprisingly engaging piece of comedy drama.

Matt.

[cambgull]

I could see this happening, unfortunately. Some poor programme choices have been made but of course, with some very good exceptions in the likes of Bluestone 42, Gavin & Stacey, Russell Howard's Good News, Family Guy and American Dad.

I still cannot understand why this is going and BBC4 is staying though. I do like a bit of intellectual stimulation as much as the next person but sometimes the programmes might as well be called "Wallpapering, with Gordon Smythington-Hufflebottom". Just tonight, there are two programmes about Ballet and then a load of programmes about a recording studio, some rehashes of music we've all heard before and a bit on Paul Simon. I'd happily watch the Paul Simon thing, but that's about it, and this is from someone who's Final Performance at Uni included a Baroque piece, Jazz and Death Metal. I'm not exactly close-minded when it comes to music!

Granted, I'd rather watch all of that than "Ja'mie: Private School Girl". A (used in the loosest of terms) comedy about a transvestite. Played by someone who is a complete imbecile trying to act gay.

There is definitely room for both on British TV, but perhaps they could both be merged into one if you remove the dross from both channels. There we go, I just solved the problem, BBC. One good channel rather than 2 channels with unfunny drivel and programmes you'd have to be a dullard to enjoy.